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Grounded in descriptive linguistics, this textbook introduces the basics of the major subfields of linguistics, as well as the Chinese writing system, for students with no prior linguistic training. It presents the Chinese language from the perspective of both modern linguistics and its longstanding philological legacy, as well as providing historical and sociolinguistic context. Chapters cover phonology and phonetics, morphology, lexicon, lexical semantics, syntax, sign language and braille. Authentic, real-world examples are drawn from Chinese newspapers, websites, and social media to facilitate meaningful linguistic analysis, while other examples contrast English and Chinese to help students grasp key concepts. Students will also benefit from the robust pedagogical approach, which includes learning objectives, guiding questions, checkpoint summaries, discussion questions, exercises, further readings, and bilingual glossaries. Supplementary resources provide answers to exercises, sample course syllabi, links to resources, and recordings of sounds.
List of contents
Preface; 1. Chinese and Linguistics; 2. Phonetics and Phonology; 3. Morphology; 4. Lexicon; 5. Lexical Semantics; 6. Syntax: Basic Concepts; 7. Syntax: Special Topics; 8. Change and Variation; 9. Writing: Early Chinese Writing; 10. Writing: Modern Chinese Writing; 11. Sign Language and Braille; Index.
About the author
Chan Lü is Associate Professor at the University of Washington, where she has been teaching Chinese and Chinese linguistics since 2016. Her expertise is on bilingual and biliteracy development. She has published widely in peer-reviewed journals on second language acquisition, bilingualism and bilingual education, and is the author of Chinese Literacy Learning in an Immersion Program (2019).
